Trump’s Reversal of his “Birther position”

President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period. Now let’s get back to the business of making America Great again.

Not so fast, Donald! You have not provided any account of the evidence that led you to take the position that President Obama was not born in the United States in the first place. Nor have you provided any explanation of what has led you to change your position. Attributing the origin of “birtherism” to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign may tickle your followers. But fact-checkers have found absolutely no basis for this claim. This attribution makes clear that the only reason you have left this position behind is to make your candidacy more appealing to traditional Republicans.

But Candidate Trump can not walk away from this issue so easily. He has questioned the place of President Obama’s birth for years. His challenge to Obama’s birthplace has been tied to a challenge to the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency. It has been one factor among many designed to make that presidency ineffective. Certainly among Republicans and Trump-followers the perpetual challenge to Obama’s citizenship has contributed to an undermining both of his credibility and leadership. What price is Donald Trump willing to pay for the damage he has caused, not only to Obama’s presidency, but to our country?